


Apotropaic

by BastardPrince



Category: The Bane Chronicles - Sarah Rees Brennan & Cassandra Clare & Maureen Johnson, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Magnus Bane & Raphael Santiago Friendship, Raphael Santiago Is So Done, Raphael is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 05:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15260757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BastardPrince/pseuds/BastardPrince
Summary: At first, Magnus doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Raphael is quiet, but that's not unusual, he's always been rather sullen. Once he sits down with his second drink and takes a sip, Magnus glances at Raphael and proceeds to choke on the gin. The vampire looks back impassively."What's wrong with you?" Magnus sputters.---This story takes place in 1953, just after Raphael is reborn as a vampire.Apotropaic, adj. having the power to avert evil (eg. garlic is believed to have apotropaic properties that keep vampires away)





	Apotropaic

Magnus Bane was in an excellent mood as he strolled home. Seeing Etta had really done him good. It was one of her few nights off and they had gone dancing to celebrate. She had worn a fancy beaded dress, and it had warmed Magnus's heart to see her spin around the room all night, her dress sparkling and her white teeth flashing in the lights. 

The date had also given Magnus a chance to get away from Raphael for a couple hours. Magnus cared deeply for Raphael, but after spending almost a month cooped up with the newly-fledged vampire, he was ready for a break. Raphael's personality was abrasive (to put it kindly), but after tonight, Magnus felt prepared to deal with him again.

Recently, Raphael had been obsessed with training himself to appear human so that he could visit his mother without alerting her to his new... lifestyle. Magnus understood the young vampire's urgency better than anyone; he knew all too well that humans didn't live forever. Even so, the warlock thought that Raphael was pushing himself too hard. It was exhausting to be around Raphael as he constantly burned himself with the cross his mother had given him, singed his mouth saying holy words, and forced himself to eat human food. This last exercise was particularly disgusting, since vampires cannot digest anything other than blood, so Raphael had to vomit up anything he ate. 

Magnus had no doubts that Raphael would be as dedicated as ever when he got home, but spending a few hours with Etta seemed to have reset his patience. 

Whistling a jaunty tune, Magnus continued his walk home with a spring in his step.

* * *

Upon entering his loft, Magnus is greeted by the sound of Raphael retching. Admittedly, this was not shocking, though the warlock had hoped he would get to spend more than two seconds in peace when he got home.

With a sigh, he toes off his shoes and heads into the living room. Knowing that Raphael will come out when he's ready, Magnus fixes himself a drink before sitting on the sofa to wait.

The warlock has finished his first drink and is about to get up and make himself a second when the bathroom door opens and Raphael steps out.

At first, Magnus doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Raphael is quiet, but that's not unusual, he's always been rather sullen. Once he sits down with his second drink and takes a sip, Magnus glances at Raphael and proceeds to choke on his gin. The vampire looks back impassively.

"What's wrong with you?" Magnus sputters.

Raphael's face is puffy, his cheeks much rounder than normal, his eyes and lips extremely swollen. 

Glaring as best he can, Raphael rasps, "I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to laugh at me." He pauses and reconsiders. "Actually, that's probably too much for you to manage. I'll tell you if you swear to never tell anyone about this. Ever."

Magnus waves a hand breezily, ignoring the thinly veiled insult and accepting the terms. 

"You know I've been practicing eating food," Raphael begins. 

Magnus nods. 

"Well I decided I would test my tolerance for Mexican food, since that's what I'm most likely to eat at home. The dish I had was very garlicky." Raphael pauses. He is nothing if not dramatic. "Apparently, the stories about vampires and garlic are true after all."

Magnus, who had taken another sip of his drink, bursts out laughing, spraying gin everywhere. He guffaws, clutching his stomach, tears forming in the corners of his cat eyes.

Raphael is not impressed, and he gets up off the sofa, walking towards the hall. 

"Wait, wait, wait!" Magnus catches his breath and calls after Raphael. "Are you uncomfortable? Do you want me to try and heal you?" 

Raphael shakes his head. "My throat is swollen, but vampires don't need to breathe," he says, obviously struggling to speak through the inflammation. "I'll be fine."

"Alright," Magnus accepts, a wide grin splitting across his face. 

Before the warlock can start laughing again, Raphael primly excuses himself and retires to the guest bedroom he's been using, shutting the door firmly behind him. 

Back in the living room, Magnus is still grinning. He shakes his head gently. For such an austere person, there’s never a dull moment with Raphael.


End file.
